Release Day Launch For Breathe Again by Sydney Logan

It’s release day for Sydney Logan’s Breathe Again, and I am so excited to share it with you! Check out the excerpt and release day goodies, and be sure to grab your copy of Breathe Again while it’s on sale!!

About Breathe Again:

From the bestselling author of Songbird comes a story that will make you laugh, cry, and believe in the power of second chances.

Carrie Malone has seen enough heartbreak to last a lifetime.

Her family’s demons gave Carrie the courage to move away from home and leave her past behind. Now a college senior, she stays busy with her classes and her job at the diner. It may sound boring to some, but to Carrie, the very best thing about her new life is that every day is calm and blissfully uneventful.

That all changes the night Josh Bennett walks into her diner.

With his dirty designer suit and mud-caked shoes, Carrie’s not sure what to think about the broken man sitting at her counter. She’s even more confused when he doesn’t touch his coffee . . . and leaves his Rolex watch as a tip.

Josh Bennett has nothing to live for.

Starved for affection and deep in despair, he’s looking for a tender touch. A kind word. A giving heart.

A shattered and broken Josh finds himself standing on a city bridge, looking down into the freezing river that will undoubtedly bring an end to his pain.

He’s prepared to jump.

He’s prepared to die.

He’s not prepared for the pretty waitress who finds him there by the river’s edge.

When two lost souls find each other in the dark of the night, can they give each other a reason to breathe again?

Cold November air nips at my bare fingers, and I mutter a curse. Leaving my gloves at home isn’t the dumbest thing I’ve done lately, but it’s close.

You should’ve let Tony drive you home.

Pulling my jacket tighter around me, I quicken my pace. It’s just a few blocks between the diner and my apartment, but the cold air makes it feel like miles.

Flurries start to swirl, prompting me to walk a little faster. I’m just making my way across the Hart Street Bridge when something catches my eye.

A man’s standing next to the concrete barrier, looking down into the frigid water below.

I stop.

Without a backwards glance, he places one leg over the edge.

My heart pounds in my chest. “No!”

His head jerks up, and there, under the lights of the city, my eyes lock with the man who left his watch on my counter.

I’m paralyzed.

So is he.

Thank God.

People keep walking. Cars keep moving. But my eyes remain fixed on the man straddling the concrete barrier—the only thing that’s keeping him from plunging into the icy river below us. I don’t know his name. I don’t know why he’s dressed like a beggar, and I certainly don’t know why he left his Rolex on my counter.

But in this moment, none of that matters.

I make sure the street is clear before walking across, keeping my movements slow as I approach him. The last thing I want to do is freak him out. For now, one leg is still on this side of the barrier, giving me hope that maybe he doesn’t really want to die tonight. Needing the support it provides, I hold onto the cold concrete and pray I say the right thing.

“What are you—”

“Leave me alone, Carrie.”

The fact that he’s coherent enough to remember my name gives me even more hope. But his voice . . . it’s raw and tinged with so much sadness that it nearly breaks my heart.

“What are you doing?”

“It’s none of your business. Go away.”

“No.”

His eyes flash with anger.

“Screw you.”

“Don’t jump and maybe I’ll let you.”

It’s a ridiculous thing to say, but I’m desperate. He’d never survive the fall, and I already have enough guilt in my heart to last a lifetime. I don’t need this on my conscience, too.

The man blinks rapidly, as if he’s trying to comprehend what I said.

“Tempting, but trust me. I’m not worth saving.”

“I don’t believe that.”

“Believe it,” he whispers. “Please, Carrie. Just . . . go.”

I shake my head and take a step closer.

Keep him talking.

“I don’t even know your name. You know mine. That’s not fair.”

He looks surprised. “You don’t recognize me?”

“Should I?”

“Wow. That’s . . . refreshing, actually.”

I glance around. Surely someone has noticed us and called the cops by now. But I don’t hear sirens, so I keep talking, hoping the man will come to his senses.

I offer him my hand. “My name is Carrie Malone. What’s yours?”

“Josh Bennett.”

The name sounds vaguely familiar.

“Nice to meet you, Josh. Now, would you please place both legs on this side of the barrier before I have a heart attack?”

Josh looks down into the river.

“Please? Let me call your family.”

It’s the wrong thing to say.

“My family’s dead, which is exactly what I should be. What I want to be.”

REVIEW

High five to Sydney Logan on a very great story! I couldn’t put this book down. It had everything that makes a great story. I love the characters and yes I cried while reading this story but that’s a sign of a good author if she/he can pull emotion from their reader, they have done their job.

This is a story about 2nd chance with love and the story draws in the reader because you want to see the characters to find happiness again. I believe happiness can be found more than once in a lifetime and fate has a way of making things happen and you just need to have faith that fate knows what it’s doing.

BARB GIVES

Join Sydney on Facebook at the Breathe Again Release Day Party – July 22 at 4:00 PM EST for author takeovers, games and prizes, including the $50 Amazon gift card grand prize!

Sydney Logan is the bestselling author of seven novels. She has also penned several short stories and is a contributor to Chicken Soup for the Soul. A lover of music, she fills her playlist with everyone from Johnny Cash to Eminem.

Sydney holds a Master’s degree in Elementary Education and spends her days surrounded by kids and books. A native of East Tennessee, she enjoys playing piano and relaxing on her porch with her wonderful husband and their very spoiled cat.